The present invention relates to a wax shaping tool used in forming an artifitial denture model with dental wax on a dental cast obtained from a patient.
In building and shaping of wax in the field of denture work, the following steps are usually repeated more than ten times for one tooth; (a) first to hold wax in the heated spatula by dipping softened or melted solid wax; (b) then to heat it up again to make it in a liquid form; and (c) to build it up at the region where wax shaping is to be performed.
In this conventional procedure, the point of regard of the dental technician moves outside of the region every time the above steps are repeated. Accordingly, it is difficult for the dental technician to concentrate his attention on the wax shaping work, and consequently the efficiency of the work is extremely lowered.
In order to improve the efficiency of the above troublesome work, there has been proposed a construction combining a heater and a spatula and providing direct heating of the spatula by the heater. Examples of such construction can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,905,987, 2,097,098, 2,119,908, 2,468,818, 3,800,122, 3,902,043 and 4,301,357.
However, even if a spatula having the above proposed construction is employed, the work includes essentially a step for dipping wax from another place and still requires the dental technician to make his point of regard off the region. Accordingly, the improvement in the efficiency of the work is not satisfactory.
Another example construction of the conventional tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,243,400, wherein a heater and a wax reservoir are provided in a handle portion and stored molten wax is delivered to a spatula formed at the front end portion.
However, since the molten wax is stored in wax reservoir, the above example construction has a drawback that there might occur a degradation of wax or a separation of wax component before the molten wax is delivered to the spatula and as a result the wax might become inadequate for the denture work where a high tolerance is required.
An object of the present invention is to provide a wax shaping tool which allows a dental technician to perform a wax shaping work continuously without making his point of regard off the region to be shaped, and therefore, which enables a wax shaping work to be carried out rapidly and efficiently.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wax shaping tool wherein solid wax is melted just before a wax shaping work so that the work can be carried out with avoiding the degradation of wax or the separation of wax component.
A further object of the invention is to provide a wax shaping tool wherein a solid wax rod, which is apt to be softened and deformed by an external force, can be fed without being associated with deformation, bending or the like.